What new Kindle will Amazon release this year?

Amazon plans on releasing at least one new e-reader this year. This revelation stems from a recent E Ink Holdings financial report. They proclaim that in the next two quarters their revenues will increase due to an order from Amazon.

The Kindle Oasis has recently been discontinued in Canada and the United States. There is no estimated date in which they will be back in stock, but it looks like they are gone for good. This e-reader never gained mainstream traction and it is the least reviewed Kindle model on the Amazon website, ever. It is too expensive and the battery life is poor, if you do not want to use the accompanied case with a built in battery, there are exposed components on the back that make it unwieldy.

There is also a rumor that Amazon will launch a North American version of the Kindle Manga Model. This ereader has 32GB of internal memory and a new page flip engine which makes turning pages of a book or comic super robust. Amazon has been very busy building up their comic library and implementing aspects of their ComiXology acquisition such as Guided View. It is apparent Amazon is serious about comics and since they cannot sell them on their iPad/iPhone app, selling them directly on a Kindle would make sense.

What would you like to see on a new Kindle model? A bigger screen? Waterproof? RGB front-lit system? Drop a comment below.

Michael Kozlowski is the Editor in Chief of Good e-Reader. He has been writing about audiobooks and e-readers for the past ten years. His articles have been picked up by major and local news sources and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times.

Oasis form factor. Better battery. 6.8 or 7.8 display. You can make this device and have it not be much bigger than other Kindle models.

Jan Tzinski

Smaller bezel, more storage, smaller, thinner, lighter (so it doesn’t weigh down my purse), access to the Amazon app store.
Don’t care about larger screen, waterproof, or changes in lighting, audio, or page turn buttons.
Also, I wish they would put today’s date at the top of the screen, next to the time!

Beverly Zipporah

Definitely I’d want one that’s waterproof. I like the adjustable lighting that the Voyage has and, to be honest, I’ve never been that enamored with the Oasis. Too expensive and not enough value for your money.

So…adjustable lightning, perhaps some sort of blue light/lighting making it easier to sleep after reading, waterproof, and I like the idea mentioned about having it solar charge. That’d be very useful.

Liz

A bigger screen, similar in size to Nook’s Samsung S2 would be a good size. A thinner device would be nice but none of those origami covers. Those covers look like they take a lot of effort to use.

Suz

Larger than 6 inch screen, comfort light, dimmer light settings.

Imprevist

The next Kindle should be everything the Kobo Aura One is and at the same $200 price. Anything else is simply unacceptable!

vrf

Except with the bulk of the bezel on one side, like the Oasis, with page turn buttons.

otnte

13″ Kindle MaX

Imprevist

I think the oasis design with the bulk is ugly. I returned it immediately and upgraded to the Aura One. The buttons however are nice but I didn’t use them quite often.

vrf

Unconventional would be the word I’d use, not ugly at all. And brilliant in its function. Why waste bezel space on both sides when the display can flip automatically? It’s a fantastic design trick and one that tablet makers should copy.

Imprevist

Unconventional yes and in my opinion very ugly. You obviously like it, that’s good. I didn’t and went with the Aura One and was blown away which is why I believe the next Kindle should be everything the Aura One is and maybe with some buttons for those that like it.

X Ray

At the moment, unless an Amazon Kindle e-reader performs sexual favors for me, I’m not buying it. The Kobo Aura One doesn’t do that, of course, but it offers almost everything that I want from an e-reader and that’s almost all I want. A KA1 with page-turn buttons? I would buy that. From Kobo.

Don’t like margins? Want one different from what Jeff Bezos says you should want? Want a font other than what Jeff Bezos says you should want? How about an extensive selection of font sizes? Or different font weights? Don’t like the 3 choices for Kindle line spacing? How about different light temperatures? Don’t want indexing bugs with sideloaded books? Want more storage?

Jeff Bezos says tough luck … you’ll take what I give you and you’ll like it, all in a form factor that I say because I am the richest man in the world (sometimes) and I know best. No, Jeff Bezos. you don’t know best and I won’t take it. My 5th Kindle e-reader was my last Kindle e-reader and I am done with Kindle e-readers.

The “Manga” edition? A device with (essentially) 3 year-old features but more storage? With (presumably) about the firmware features that were out of date at Kobo 5 years ago? LOL.

Heidi Steindel

I just checked and they are indeed out of stock

Heidi Steindel

Wow goodereader continues to remove my comments and they are not even bad you just lost a devoted reader. Bye

Booklover

I would love it to be waterproof and have a RGB front-lit system. In the meanwhile I will continue to enjoy my Paperwhite.

They say they expect an order by Amazon, but for what size-screen? If Amazon asked them to be ready for one, they must know what specs to prepare for mass shipping, right? If they expect any size other than 6 inches, that would tell a lot.

What I would want in a new Kindle ereader? Honestly the spec sheet of the Kobo Aura One is quite literally perfect. One could argue more space or whatnot, but overall it is what I had hoped Kindle would be by now, or offer.

As such, i just picked up an Aura One, which i will receive next Friday, and look forward to putting it through its paces.

I thought the same way, too. I just returned my third Aura One for issues. Two had buggy light bars with dead spots or green light, and one had an eraser-head sized circle of dead pixels.

I want an Aura One so, SO bad. It’s my perfect device. But the quality control on them is awful.

Albert

I’ll cross my fingers then. If I have to return it, which will be a burden from Brazil, I will, but if so, I will wait 3 months and have a buddy flying in from France bring me an Icarus.

vrf

I’m very tempted as well, but it seems there are so many software glitches, touch panel issues, QC problems… that I’m willing to wait just a bit longer to see what Amazon has in mind. If they can’t see that a larger display is what many want–even just 6.8″–than I guess I’ll take another look at Kobo.

Still, you watch a few Youtube videos of the Aura One, and you get the impression that their software is just plain bloated, buggy and slow! I guess the firmware updates have improved things, though.

Azalia-Zally Varona-Hahn

I would love to see a Kindle fire in e-ink water proof and expandable storage. Then I’ll jump ship.

More memory.
Smoother running.
Less stressful cloud and file management of big number of files.
Physical buttons both sides old style.
Functional browser.

Just at the top of my head. Maybe more battery and audio support.

Alt X

white background to be more whiter. Text to be blacker, and higher pixel count (also comes in White).

Daniel Czyz

waterproof!

Haley

Replace the page margins with a margin-sized bezel that looks like a margin, e.g. same colour and covered by the outer layer of the screen.

Haley

Oh and more font sizes, jeez.

blogless

I love my Oasis but I didn’t like the cover so I got a different colorful cloth one that’s pretty and lighter – the problem being the battery life now sucks without the original cover so I have to charge it more. Not that big a deal.

I have every one of the previous Kindles. The most important thing – and what I like best about the Oasis – is the clickable pageturns. The Voyage was wonky for me.

I’d love to have the font in color and possible audio, but I know the color is a ways off and the audible would add too much to the weight.

Exactly like Kobo Aura One but from Amazon please. Would buy instantly. From software point of view even if it hurts their business model, I would love to be able to use Kindle to read library books. I would not even mind if it will be a paid add-on which unlocks the feature over the air.

ann

I remain a stubborn Kindle Keyboard holdout. I won’t upgrade until they offer one unit with:
–Tactile interface: Buttons, not a touch screen, for page turns, home, etc. Like on original.
–A single motion, tactile way to drop a bookmark. One should be able to do with with their eyes closed (literally). A slider bar, so you don’t do it by accident, would be best.
–Lighted screen like on the Voyage.
–Audiobook access/text-to-speech capability, like on the original.
–Bluetooth, for audio and for hooking up a keyboard for taking notes (no need for a keyboard on the unit).
–Water resistant.
–Book cover as screen saver (I realize this is probably a software issue). I am one of those people who pays extra for no ads. I really want the option of having the cover of the book I’m reading as an automatic screensaver. The thing I miss most about real books is having the cover art tempting me to pick it up and read when it’s sitting on the table. Also, I feel like I forget the title of the book/name of the author on things I’m reading–that never happened with real books.
—Running headers (title author) at top of the page would also help. I think the Nook used to support that.

Also, I want to pick my own cover, thanks. I didn’t understand the lure of the Oasis cover. What if you don’t like leather?

Lainey

Currently, the black Oasis with Wifi + 3G with offers is the only kind still available. I messaged Amazon and the only answer they gave me was that I could get a wi-fi only one through other sellers on Amazon. I am really hoping they upgrade the Oasis. I currently have an old Kindle Keyboard 3 (which I still love) but would love to have the Oasis.

beth

I am visually and tactily impaired. Having a button to turn pages is important. I am not coordinated enough to “turn” pages. As my eyesight fails, text to speech is vital. I love to read and this function allows me to keep reading. My eyes can’t tolerate the LED of the fire, therefore having a black and white kindle, preferably large screen, like the previous kindle DX, with the text to speech function would be ideal. Also, the black keyboard is very difficult to see with any visual impairment. A white keyboard with black figures would be great. I don’t like the reader on all audible books therefore the text to speech function allows me to enjoy many great books. The current black and white kindles do not have this function which is a great loss. As I have said, the kindle fire LED screen is impossible for me to read long, even on the largest print and blue shade on. I am forced to listen. The old kindle DX had this function and was superior for those visually impaired. I know that’s probably not a big market but philanthropically could go a long way.

WE NEED KINDLE MANGA MODEL TO BE READILY AVAILABLE!
Its honestly discouraging to know that its not available – and that it has wayyy better features. For serious readers – 4 gb is honestly nothing. Yes, I get that manga takes more space – but that model isn;t just for manga only. And people who want to read both manga and books — wouldn’t mind paying a little more for 32 glorious gb storage. I’ll probably have mine shipped from Japan…
I do hope they make the manga model available soon – or at least upgrade the paper-white with better storage! Waterproofing it would make it no. 1!

Wollongong Wattle

Greater number of font options and a larger screen (but no increase in weight) are the top priorities. Additionally, it needs to retain buttons, not “hep”.

Oasis inadequate demand was, imho, due to its price relative to the Paperwhite and Voyage. Every single reviewer I found was recommending that only folks with some lazy cash burning a hole in their pocket should pay so much more for supposedly insignificant improvements in their reading experience.
I still opted for the Oasis because I was needing to shell out extra $ for a strong protective cover anyway. This is my third Kindle, and it has been an utter delight to handle. I won’t be tempted to upgrade for many years.